Lightweight concrete mixture



Feb 12, 1952 A. R. BOLLAERT Erm.

LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE MIXTURE Filed Abril 20, 1948 DIATOMACEOUS EARTH'CONTENT IN PERCENTS CEMENTWEIGHT LII CYLS. PB

-III

mvzNToRs MMM'.

AT TORNEY Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED sTATEs LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE LHXTURE Armand B. Bollaert, Arcadia, and Ernest L. Neu, Manhattan Beach, Calif., assignors to Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, Chicago, IIL, a corporation of Delaware Application April zo, 194s, serial No. 22,096

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of concretes consisting in large Dart of cement and materi and specifically to a method of increasing the crushing strength o1' such concretes without materially increasing their weight.

The light weight aggregates on which the concretes herein described are based are the products of expansion and vesiculation of minerals of the perlitic type, a group of volcanic glasses including perlite, pitchstone, vitrophire and some varieties of obsidian. These minerals lare, characterized by a glassy or vitreous structure and by the presence of a small proportion, as for example from about 2% to about 6%, of combined water. Such varieties of volcanic ash as contain sufficient water of combination are also useful for this purpose and show the characteristic lustre under magnication.

The treatment of the mineral by which expansion is produced consists, in general terms, in crushing it to a desired particle size range and in heating the resultant granules to a temperature, of the order of 1700 to 2000 Fahr., at which the mineral becomes plastic and at which the combined water is evolved from the particle, produc# ing a. vesicular structure anda more or less'extreme degree of increase in volume.

The product of this operation is a white or light colored granular mass, the loose weightof which may vary over an extreme range, as from fifty pounds to as little as two pounds per cubic foot, depending on the quality. of the mineral (itsadaptability to the expanding process) and the manipulation of the heat-treating step. For the purpose herein described we prefer to utilize a product having a loose weight, as packaged for shipment, within the range from twenty Pounds to iive pounds per cubic foot.

When examined under considerable magniiication the product of the expansion of perlitic minerals is seen to be a mass of particles of three distinct types: vesicular grains consisting of numerous polygonal cells; individual spherical cells having thin glassy walls, and nu e s ticles, mainly fragments of broken-down cell wall. In a carefully prepared product the vesicular grains make up the greater part of the total volume.

The cellular grains, whether vesicular or individualcells, may be ated from the solid partileamnqtatiog. references Hereinafter to float percent being to the percentage of the original volume which rises to form an upper, oating layer when the product is stirred with water and the suspension allowed to come to rest. The solid particles, which are usually of very small size, settle to form a clearly dened bottom layer, an intermediate layer of clear water appearing if the original suspension be sumciently dilute.

Expanded perlitic minerals have been used (ci. 16s-98) pounds per square inch and a very lean concrete perhaps half that strength, the expanded perlite concretes heretofore made have shown a 28 day compressive strength of 250 to 300 pounds in a 1:5

l5, mix, about 200 pounds in a 1:6.'7 mix and not much over 100 pounds in a 1:10 mix. These low strengths unfit the straight perlite concrete for many uses to which such products are .put and sharply limits its usefulness.

20 Another drawback tothe perlite mortars heretofore produced is their tendency o stratify before By reason of the extreme specific gravity difference between the cement and the expanded perlite, and the smooth `surfaces and rounded contours of the perlite grains, there is a strong tendency to stratify and substantially no interlocking of grains to resist that tendency. In consequence, the separation of cement from aggregate becomes appreciable even when the ag- 31, gregate is as heavy as forty pounds per cubic foot and is severe when a lighter aggregate, of the order of lfifteen pounds per foot, is used. In the extreme case represented by the use of a low weight aggregate in a lean mix, the cement may separate almost completely from the aggregate during the' agitation necessary for the lling of a mold or form, the upper portion of the resulting block being practically unbonded and the lower portion a layer of neat cement.

stratification may be oveco o,

1 to abgut 50 migrgns witllgipilpplgsslpeg il l u o Inthis respect there is considerable latitude, but in all casesthe earth used should be very fine.

The surprising results following from the addition of even small proportions of diatomaceous earth to a cement-perlite concrete are shown in the following tables reciting yields, densities, water absorptions and 28 day strengths obtained in four sets of test cylinders in which the cement perlite ratios were respectively 1:5; 1:5; 1:6.7 and 1:.12 and i n each of which the 40 We have discovered that the msnm z l j u Table 5 Mix Ratios-by volume, 1:12.00:WV:DE". Mix Ratios-by weight,

3 quantity of diatomaceous earth added was varied over a considerable range. The weights of the materials used in making these cylinders were Ordinarily, panels formed from cement-perlite concrete fail i h @me and hose i,stream test, while similar panels to which a small pro' portion of finely comminuted diatomaceous earth has been added withstand this test without difficulty. This improvement in the properties of the concrete makes it highly useful and valuable for partition walls and other uses in steel frame buildi in which its light weight results in a l. a ial saving in steel.

e reason for this enhan ed resistance to the succe si of fire an'ifwatisnn' ot known with entire certaityb/itwis believed to be the release of calcium oxide at high temperature and its exothermic reaction with the perlite in the absence of any inhibitor. The added diatomac ous earth, being largely free silica andin a highly reactive form, isV able to comwith the free lime of the cement to form a The very considerable sound-proofing property inherent in the perlite-cement concretes is not reduced by the addition of diatomaceous earth and in some instances may even be increased by that addition.

The resistance to the normal tendency to stratify while being 'placed in the slab, block or structure which is imparted by the addition of -diatomaceous earth is incapable of representation in gures, but is of Vgreat practical importance. This tendency, if not corrected, is likely to lead to serious weakness in the product, and the correction has heretofore involved the use of mixes much richer in cement than would otherwise have been required.

The limit proportions of finely comminuted diatomaceous earth which may be added to any cement-perlite concrete have not been determined definitely, and in any case will vary with the richness of the mix. As a generality, applicable to al1 mix ratios, the minimum addition will be that which produces the desired or a useful increase in compressive strength while the upper limit will be that at which the density ofthe concrete is increased more than is desired. As a guide to practice, and without limitation, we suggest as the most useful addition range from one half pound to tenp'ounds of diatomaceous earth per cubic foot of expanded @rlite aggregate in the conLetejlix, the most general y useful proportion being ofthe order of about one pound earth per cubic foot aggregate.

'I'he diatomaceousearth used for this purpose must be finely comminuted, preferably to such neness that the major part of the component particles are smaller than 50 microns. No claim is made to concretes based on or containing diatomaceous earth crushed to relatively large particles and lumps. in which the earth constitutes the principal part or all of the aggregate. Such concretas, which are well known, have properties and uses entirely distinct from those of the modified perlite concretes described herein.

It is. p ivided 6 wwwa-mim.- ;ul not en 1re y equivalent as regards increase in trength and as regards density of the product. 1 r example we may use volcanic t fLor finders, 'blast furnace Sll. gywlla SPBQQH f.. cra ='iin.eaialrt and Presriialed Sillage all in a state of extremely ne subdivision. Itlshould f be understood, however, that these substances are substitutes rather than equivalents for diatomaceous earth for this purpose, lacking the high relation of bulk to weight and the unique p1atelike or spicular structure whichmake diatomaceous earth particularly valuable for increasing strength without increasing weight.' 1.3 The diatomaceous earth isadded in proportion not substantially less than'2%. nor more than 100% of the weight of cement` in the concrete. and is generally within the range from 2% to 20% by weight of cement in the concrete.

The term perlite aggregate" as used in the claims is inten?e-d'tdsigriatew and to be restricted to theabove described products of the heat exfI pansion and vesiculation of previously commi# 7 nuted te, obsid-ian, vitrophire, pitchrstonev'f 2 vglcanigash and other lacfgasses adapte to such expansion and is nt'iiteiddto includ vesiculated clays or shalgs which have an entirely dit'hsal structure.

We claim as our invention:

l. A lightweight concrete of improved crushing strength consisting essentially of Portland 'cement, cellular artificially heat expande'dji'te aggregate having a bulk density of '5120 lbs. per cu. ft.. and from 2100% by weight, based on said cement. of a finely comminuted solid consisting essentially of silica', the volumetric ratio of ce, ment to aggregate being within the range of 1 :5 to 1:12.

2. A lightweight concrete of improved crushing strength consisting essentially of Portland. cement, cellular artificially heat expand lite aggregate having abulkgdensity of 20 lbs; per cu. ft., and from 271001Z byweight, based on said cement, of a finely comminuted solid cons sting essentially of diatomaceous earth, the volumetric ratio of cement to aggregate being within the range of 1 :5 to 1:12.

3. A concrete substantially as recited in claim 2 wherein said diatomaceous earth is substantially` free from particles exceeding 50 microns in major dimension.

v 4. A concrete substantially as recited in claim 2 wherein the diatomaceous earth is within the range of 2-20% of the weight of cement in said concrete. l

ARMAND n. BOLLAERT. ERNEST L. NEU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wig Sept. 6, 1927 Lane Oct. 10, 1905 Caven June 3, 1919 Bates June 4. 1929 OTHER REFERENCES Ralston: U. S. Dept. of Interior Infomation Circular #7364, August 1946.

Number G5 Re. 16,732 801,597 1,305,522 1,715,977 

1. A LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE OF IMPROVED CRUSHING STRENGTH CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PORTLAND CEMENT, CELLULAR ARTIFICIALLY HEAT EXPANDED PERLITE AGGREGATE HAVING A BULK DENSITY OF 5-20 LBS. PER CU. FT., AND FROM 2-100% BY WEIGHT, BASED ON SAID CEMENT, OF A FINELY COMMINUTED SOLID CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SILICA, THE VOLUMETRIC RATIO OF CEMENT TO AGGREGATE BEING WITHIN THE RANGE OF 1:5 TO 1:12. 